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What are you going to do on the longest day of the year? The Summer Solstice marks the official beginning of Summer. The name comes from the Latin solstitium meaning ‘sun stands still’. It is the day with the most hours of sunlight because the sun’s path (from Earth’s perspective) comes to a stop before it reverses direction.

Many cultures celebrate this day as it symbolizes renewal, fertility and harvest. This is a promising time to honor the sun and give notice to nature’s gifts and the present moment. While the Summer Solstice is a celebration of the sun lengthening it’s daily show for us, it is also the day when all days after get shorter. After the Summer Solstice the light and dark slowly begin to balance into Equinox and then fade into Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year).

What to do on the Summer Solstice (June 21th 2015)

Celebrating the Summer Solstice is done just by connecting with nature.

Stay up all night and witness the earliest sun rays as they peek over the horizon.

Go outdoors and enjoy the sun from dawn until dusk – read a book, swim, garden.

Be with friends outside – gather around a bonfire or have a picnic in the park.

Walk barefoot in the grass, dig your toes in the sand, or splash through rain puddles.

Try one these yoga practices to honor the Summer Solstice: (via Yoga Journal)

Get up at dawn, face east, and do 108 repetitions of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutaion) sequence.

Simply do one reverent bow to honor the sun.

Practice Surya Bhedana pranayama (Single Nostril Breath) to harmonize the body’s solar and lunar energies on the day of the solstice.

However you choose to recognize the Summer Solstice, we hope it’s done with a grateful heart and acknowledgement of the Sun’s rhythm with Earth. "Honoring the solstice can remind us just how precious each day and season is, because the truth of its passing away is also acknowledged. Gifts need to be appreciated, not taken for granted,” says Grove Harris in her article The Spiritual Meaning of Summer Solstice.